Ainsley-ThemomentIthoughtImightmakeit

Having joined the club aged six, the midfielder admits there were times when he thought his Arsenal career might come to a premature end.

But a combination of the right attitude, hard work and his natural ability has seen him establish himself in the first-team squad. But when did he first realise that he could make it with us?

“It was when I was about 14,” Maitland-Niles told Arsenal Player. “I wouldn’t tip myself as one of the top players in my group back then, because I was so small and there were a lot of people who were [more] physically developed at my age and I was one of the smaller players.

“I sat down with my Dad and he said, ‘If you really want to progress then you need to start believing in yourself, believe in your ability because you have it there’. I started to watch game tapes and seeing things that i didn’t see in myself before.

“[At one point when I was younger] I was very close to being cut from Hale End. Liam Brady sat me down and said I had a lot to work on, so I just got my head down and worked hard on and off the field.

“It was my finishing at the time that made my coaches believe in me, and I had a lot of energy so I was always running up and down. I guess they saw something in me that I didn’t see in myself at the time.”

KelechiNwakalijoinsFCPortoonloan

Kelechi Nwakali will spend next season on loan with Portuguese side FC Porto.

The 20-year-old joined us in the summer of 2016, before immediately joining MVV Maastricht on loan. During his time in the Eerste Divisie, the Nigeria international made 34 appearances, scoring three times.

Last season Kelechi remained in Holland - stepping up to the Eredivisie with VVV Venlo - during which time he made 11 appearances and scored once.

Kelechi now heads to Portugal and we wish him all the best for his season with Porto.

The deal is subject to the completion of regulatory processes.

Copyright 2018 The Arsenal Football Club plc. Permission to use quotations from this article is granted subject to appropriate credit being given to www.arsenal.com as the source.

Bellerin-Myfamilyisbuiltaroundfashion

It only takes a brief look at the Instagram account of Hector Bellerin to understand that our right-back has a passion for fashion.

The Spain international isn't shy about sharing his favourite sartorial snaps with supporters, but why has fashion piqued Hector's interest?

"I come from a family that has been built around fashion really," Bellerin told Arsenal Player. "My grandma and my grandpa opened a little fashion retail shop and used to make their own clothes from scratch.

"My mum joined them and that’s what she studied when she was young. She was working in swimwear for lots of years and then always like making my clothes smaller or making my clothes, altering them.

Hector poses for one of his Instagram posts

"I was always curious when I was a kid because that’s what my grandma and my mum used to do. They always wanted me to dress well when I was going to different places and that’s something that’s stuck with me since I was a kid.

"Now I have a chance to actually do my own thing and express myself and sometimes even inspire people.

"You don’t have to dress like everyone else, you have to dress however you like and however you seen your vision. I think it’s cool for people to actually see me not only as a footballer but as someone who has an impact in fashion as well."

Bellerin posted this photo from the final day of Wimbledon

Copyright 2018 The Arsenal Football Club plc. Permission to use quotations from this article is granted subject to appropriate credit being given to www.arsenal.com as the source.